Part 20 (1/2)

Polly looked automatically, and her hand flew to her mouth.

Metal points stuck through Shel's gory finger-stumps. The skin hung away from a hole in the wrist, too, and Polly saw gleaming silver shafts and coloured wires.

'He's got an artificial arm,' Haunt said, transfixed.

'Away,' Shel croaked. 'Away.' His cheek twitched faster and faster until a tiny metal coil burst through the skin, flecking his face with bright blood.

'It's not just his arm,' Polly whispered. 'It's all of him. He's a robot too.'

Chapter Nine.

Nemesis

I.

Shel's face twisted with anger. Polly bit her lip as he pulled Haunt's arm from his neck and shoved her backwards with inhuman strength. She rolled over and over across the floor.

'We've been set up! Shel's gonna kill all of us!' Frog brought up her gun and fired again. A spark leapt from Shel's chest.

He swayed, then bashed the gun out of her grasp. Frog overbalanced and knocked against the Doctor, who gasped as he tried to stop her falling. He staggered back against the body in the chair, which skittered away on its castors.

Shel swung round to face Polly.

'Don't hurt us,' she pleaded. His eyes were unfocussed, gla.s.sy or perhaps just gla.s.s.

'Leave Polly alone,' the Doctor commanded. 'Whatever your purpose here, this girl has done you no harm.'

Shel ignored him. He raised his rifle with his good hand.

Polly backed away closer to Shade, who lay still and oblivious.

Haunt was back on her feet. Her own rifle was aimed at Shel's twitching head. 'Put down the gun.'

Shel lowered the rifle without bothering to turn round.

'If you want to live, start talking.' Haunt took a step closer.

'Who sent you?' Another step. 'Who pushed you on to me?' me?'

Polly wasn't sure if Shel's mouth was opening with any intent to speak, or if whatever machinery controlled his lips was giving out like the rest of him.

The Doctor slowly advanced on him, his arms raised. 'Why are you really here, Shel?'

'He's here to kill all of us,' Frog whined. 'Whatever's going on, he's planned it all.'

The Doctor looked at Shel more sternly, and swept an arm at the dais behind the console. 'Did 'Did you arrange all this, sir?' you arrange all this, sir?'

Shel swung the rifle up and fired. The Doctor reeled back instinctively. Polly screamed as a bolt of light shot into the console beside him.

At the same time Haunt opened fire on Shel, who staggered under the impact. He turned and ran for the exit, firing the rifle behind him apparently at random. A blast scorched past Polly's shoulder before she could even react.

Then something grabbed hold of her leg, and pulled. Mid-scream, she went down, as another blast shot overhead.

Shade relaxed his grip on her calf. She almost wept with relief that nothing more sinister had got a hold of her, and wriggled over on her front to shelter beside his force mattress.

'Frog, after him,' Haunt bellowed.

Polly decided it must be at least a little safer to get up now.

She squeezed Shade's hand to say thank you and cautiously rose to her feet. She glimpsed Frog as she sprinted through the doorway. Haunt had already vanished. The Doctor stood alone by the shattered console, inspecting the blackened hole carved out by Shel's wild shot.

'That could've been you,' Polly said shakily.

'Yes, I dare say it could,' murmured the Doctor. 'We must find out why. Shel's badly damaged, he shouldn't get far.' He tutted. 'Just look at this vandalism! My dear, would you check our new discovery beneath the console is undamaged, hmm?' He rubbed his back meaningfully.

Polly felt a little uneasy at the way the Doctor could seemingly forget all the violence they'd just lived through to concentrate on a bit of broken technology, but she crouched down obediently just the same. Beneath the console she saw the junction box was scorched and smoking. 'Looks like this has had it.'

'He's managed to fuse the controls.' The Doctor grimaced.

'Dear, dear. And just as I was about to deactivate the force s.h.i.+eld and study those bodies!'

Polly looked at him doubtfully. 'That was probably the point, wasn't it?'

Stamping feet made Polly turn. Haunt had re-entered the room. From the look on her face, Shel had got away.

'Where's Frog?' asked Polly.

'Outside, guarding the corridor,' she said. 'We couldn't catch him. He moved too fast, even wounded like -' She caught herself. 'Even damaged like that.'

Polly wondered how long Haunt had known Shel, how many secrets she'd trusted to him. She shook her head, walked over to the Doctor.

'He was a most convincing human being,' the Doctor murmured.